I denounced the Pharisees in my generation. Do you know anything about Pharisees other than what you read in the gospels? They were a relatively short-lived Jewish sect that took their spirituality seriously and applied it to all aspects of life. Is this last part true of you as well? What characteristics did the Pharisees have that I objected to? Even though no one goes by that title today, has anyone taken on the same characteristics to become the functional equivalent by another name? Who do you think I would identify in your current generation to criticize for hypocrisy?

I said that foxes had holes and birds had nests, but the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head. This was my way of saying that I was homeless, not having even the same degree of secure shelter that the animals had. Do you see anything in the Bible that attaches me to a fixed address? I wandered without property, being a guest in other people’s homes, and went from a manger to a borrowed grave. What is your view of those with no means today? Do you see them as being rich in faith? Do you encourage them to rejoice because the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs?

Some churches use holy water in their practices. What about holy air? Air and water are both common elements and readily available, but water is more easily contained and controlled. I described the operation of the Holy Spirit by saying the wind blows where it will. The Holy Spirit is available to you but you cannot contain it. In like manner you depend on the constant availability of air to live and breathe, but you have no control over the supply. Do you recall that I animated the human race by breathing life into Adam? Do you look at breathing as a spiritual practice?

You meet professed atheists who reject my existence. Have you ever met any functional atheists? These may not deny my existence, but they go through life claiming that they take care of all their own provision, and that they are responsible for all of their developments and transitions. You do not accept this position, but how can you refute it? I claim that I send the sun and rain on the just and on the unjust. This would include those who acknowledge my provision and those who do not.